Body rest adjustment for coffin



R. L. HEGMAN ETAL BODY REST ADJUSTMENT FOR COFFIN Jan. 31, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 10, 1964 "HUD I NVEN'TORS ROBERT L. HEGMAN CLINTON L. WEBER 314% w :zfi m ATTORNEY Jan. 31, 1967 R. L.'HEGMAN ETAL 3,300,828

BODY REST ADJUSTMENT FOR COFFIN Filed July 10, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVENTORS'.

ROBERT L HEGMAN CLINTON L. WEBER ATTORNEY.

United States Pate 3,300,828 BODY REST ADJUSTMENT FOR COFFIN Robert L. Hegman and Clinton L. Weber, both of Cincinnati, Ohio, assignors to Safegard Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed July 10, 1964, Ser. No. 381,745 1 Claim. ((11. 27-12) The present invention relates generally to improvements in caskets and, more specifically, it provides an improved body rest adjustment for a cofiin.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a simplified body support structure, for a oofiin.

Another basic object of the invention is to provide a structure which is so arranged that the height-adjusting means is, for the most part, concealed from vision.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved body support adjustment for a cofiin which can be conveniently manually operated in any one of three modes: First, by separate corners; second, from both ends; third, from either end.

Still another object of the invention is materially to advance the art of adjustable body supports for coffins by providing an improved adjusting arrangement which is relatively simple and reliable in operation and not depent on complex-shaped brackets.

A further object of the invention is to provide for more ready adjustment of the position of a corpse, without resorting to the necessity of removing or adding stufiing material to a coffin mattress.

During storage and shipping, the body-support is arranged to allow adequate space for pillows and other interior accoutrements, permitting these to be handled without crushing during the storage and shipping of the cofiin prior to its end use.

For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects and capabilities thereof, reference is made to the following description of the appended drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates in perspective a cofiin embodying a preferred form of adjustable body rest in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the FIGURE 1 embodiment as taken along the section line 22 of FIG- URE 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are sectional views as taken along section lines 33 and 4-4, respectively, in each case of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURES 5 and 6 are, respectively, top plan and side views of the platform portion of the body rest in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged detailed view of one latch member comprising a rod, slotted support and compression spring.

Referring to FIGS. 14, there is shown a conventional casket body 10, comprising a bottom 11, ends 12 and 13, and sides 14 and 15. A platform 16 formed in accordance with the invention and including a cofiin mattress provides support for the corpse.

Now an ever-present problem in the morticians art is to present a body with dignity and repose. Due to the dimensional variations as between corpses, and the necessity in most cases to elevate the body to the proper level in a coffin, there is need to improve means for adjustment of the elevation of platform 16, without resort to mechanisms that are complex, sticky, expensive, unreliable or lacking in ready access.

In accordance with the invention, therefore, we provide a first pair of spaced brackets or locating means 17, 18 near to one end of the cofiin, these being disposed readily adjustable as to height,

near the corners, and a second pair of spaced brackets near to the other end of the coffin. The brackets are formed with notches such as that indicated at 25, definitive of available locating or elevational levels. It will be understood that all four of the brackets are similar and that they provide corresponding notches at several levels. That is, brackets 17 and 18 are complementary to each other and brackets 19 and 2d are complementary to each other. Each bracket in section is Z-shaped, and each comprises an integral portion which abuts against a side of the coffin and is secured thereto, an integral mid-portion extending into the coflin and an integral notched portion extending toward the end of the coffin and parallel to the side of the cofiin. In other words, the notches on the brackets face outwardly, i.e., toward the coffin ends. It will be understood that the brackets could be mounted on and secured to the bottom of the coffin instead of being secured to the sides, as shown in the specific embodiment illustrated in the drawings.

The platform 16 (see FIGS. 5-7) is, of course, intended to be adjustably positioned within the cofiin 10 and the platform structure therefore includes a first transversely extending rod 21, the ends of which are adapted to project into notches in the first pair of brackets 17, 18, and a second transversely extending rod 22, the ends of which are adapted to project into notches formed in the second pair of brackets 19, 20. The platform proper comprises a pair of spaced tubular support members 23 and 24 extending parallel to the length of the coffin. The support members 23, 24 are formed with slots such as that designated 26, extending outboard and near their ends.

Rod 22 projects through the slots at one end of the support members, rod 21 projects through the slots at the other end of the support members, so that the rods may be displaced outwardly along the slots (Le. toward the ends of the cofiin). U-shaped tubular end members 27 and 28 are provided, member 27 projecting into the tubular support members at one end and U-s'haped member 28 projecting into the tubular support members at the other end. The U-shaped members are rigidly and fixedly secured to the support members into which they telescope, providing seats for four compression springs, one of which is shown in detail and designated by the reference numeral 29. It will be observed that compression spring 29 tends to push one end of rod 22 inwardly. Similarly the compression springs 30, 31 and 32 tend to push their corresponding end portions of rods 22 and 21 inwardly. In each case the spring is compressed between and edge of a U-shaped member and a side area of one of the transversely extending rods.

While the rods 21 and 22 are capable of lateral movement away from each other, they are normally biased inwardly by the compression springs.

The platform 16 is provided with an integral mattress, the casing of which is positioned by being looped at its sides around the support members 23 and 24-, and at its ends around the central portions of the U-shaped members 27 and 28.

Optionally, a single operator may force either rod 21 or 22 outwardly, disengaging one end of the platform 16 from one end pair of brackets and he may then change the elevation of that end by placing the rod in the desired notches in that pair of brackets and then releasing the rod. The operator can then force the other rod outwardly, disengaging it from the other pair of brackets and finally placing said other rod in latching engagement with the desired notches. As an alternative, operators at each end may simultaneously perform both of the aforementioned unlatching, locating and releasing operations. Third, the operations may be performed by a single operator, one corner at a time. In any event, when an end of either rod 21 or 22 is registered with a higher or a lower notch, as the case may be, latching the corner of the platform again in place is accomplished by simply permitting the rod again to be biased inwardly into the notch by the associated compression spring.

The mattress included in platform 16 of the present invention is identical in construction to that shown in our copending patent'application, Serial No. 240,075, now patent No. 3,145,445 filed in the United States Patent Office on November 26, 1962, entitled Body Rest Adjustment for Cofiin and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and application.

While there has been shown and described what are at present believed to be the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the proper scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having disclosed our invention, We claim:

In a coflin comprising a bottom, ends and sides, the combination of:

a frame consisting of two spaced longitudinally extended tubular side members and two spaced generally U-shaped tubular end members telescoping into said side members to provide shoulders,

a mattress secured to said frame and extending substantially over the interior length of said collin,

first and second spaced brackets secured to the coffin near its head end and laterally of said frame and mattress,

third and fourth spaced brackets secured to the cofiin near its foot end and laterally of said frame and mattress,

each of the brackets being formed with a vertical sequence of diagonally upwardly extending tangs spaced inwardly from the sides of said coffin and defining notches,

said side members being formed with longitudinally extending slots near said shoulders,

a first transversely extending rod located under said mattress and adapted to project through two of said slots into notches on the first and second brackets,

a second transversely extending rod located under said 5 mattress and adapted to project through the other two of said slots into notches on the third and fourth brackets,

said rods having end portions providing handles,

the tangs on the first and second brackets facing away from the tangs on the third and fourth brackets and each tang being so formed as to permit an end portion of a rod to be disengaged from the notch associated with and under that tang and manually lifted to the next adjacent notch, and

means for permitting individual disengagement of any rod portion to be lifted comprising coil springs individually disposed outboard of said rod end portions between said rod end portions and said shoulders for biasing said rod portions inwardly toward said notches,

the rods being biased into the notches by the springs to support the frame and mattress in any selected position and the end portions of the rods being manually released from said notches against the force of said coil springs to permit adjustment of the elevation of the frame and mattress.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 975,996 11/1910 Reed 5-82 2,224,339 12/1940 Davis 2712 2,562, 053 7/1951 Mars et a1. 5-11 3,145,445 8/1964 Hegrnan et a1. 2712 ROBERT E. MORGAN, Acting Primary Examiner.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Examiner.

W. KAMM, Assistant Examiner. 

